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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brasília.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.